


Ben Wyatt Works Alone

by swmbo



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-30
Updated: 2011-12-30
Packaged: 2017-10-28 12:33:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/307916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swmbo/pseuds/swmbo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Numbers never lie - not even when you want them to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ben Wyatt Works Alone

Ben doesn't need friends. Ben doesn't even want friends. Friends mean people expecting something from you. Friends mean people that you try to impress. Friends mean bankrupting an entire town and then nobody ever talking to you again.

He doesn't need friends, because he has work. Work that matters. And if it means that he's never in the same place for more than a few weeks at a time, that's fine. Friends are just lies, and numbers never lie - not even when you want them to.

So when his boss calls him into the office to tell him that there's a situation, he figures, great, 30 minutes and he'll have his bags packed and be ready to hit the road.

***

"Ben, we have a problem." His boss looks weary, uncomfortable. Normally she's calm, brisk - someone Ben feels comfortable with, during their briefings ... she doesn't try to fill the space with empty chatter. She gets to the point and then he gets on the road. But today she's not even looking Ben in the eye.

"I'm sorry?" The minute the words escape, he wants to draw them back. He's apologized too much already for things in his life, and just the words make his gut feel hollow and empty. Sorry is meaningless. Fixing things, that's what matters. He clears his throat and tries again. "What seems to be the issue?"

"47. I have 47 letters of official complaint directed at you - from just the last three towns." She waves a hand. "I know. You did your job. The fact that they even can afford the envelopes to send the letters is because of your budgets but ... It can't go on. This office has to maintain an image. If Indiana sees us as vultures, they won't let us in and we won't be able to help."

It takes every ounce of control to keep his face expressionless, but calm is something he's very good at. "Am I being fired?"

She looks shocked. It's the first time Ben's seen that much expression on her face and it ... it feels good, actually. "No! No. You're just ... you're just getting a partner."

 

"WHAT?" The calm is gone. Ben Wyatt works alone. He's always worked alone.

"Ben. This is not negotiable."

 

*** *** *** ****

 

"Ben, this is Chris Traeger. Chris, Ben Wyatt."

Chris looks like he just bounded into the room straight out of an Indiana state government recruiting poster. They don't actually have state recruiting posters, but now that he's seen Traeger, he's pretty convinced that they need to start.

Chris points two fingers at him. "Ben. Wyatt." He's looking straight at Ben. That much eye contact is intense and Ben wants to look away, but ... he just cant.

"Traeger." Ben nods to him. Keep everything brief. Professional.

Chris Traegar gasps. Actually gasps. "Chris! Call me Chris!" Before Ben can avoid him, he's reached out and grabbed Ben's hand in a ... it's not even a handshake, it's Ben's hand enveloped between two of Chris's, being pressed firmly. He wants to pull his hand away but he can't, not with Chris staring at him. Actually looking at him. Chris is smiling and Ben can feel the corner of his own mouth start to twitch up involuntarily. "I have the feeling, Ben Wyatt, that this is partnership is going to be a-mazing."

Ben doesn't know what to say but for some reason it doesn't matter, because Chris just keeps talking. Something about hydration schedules on the road and the importance of motels with kitchenettes and Ben has no clue what he's talking about but it doesn't matter. They're leaving in 12 hours and Ben's still trying to come to terms with "partner."

 

*** *** **** ***

 

Everybody's coming up to Chris to shake his hand. Two guys and a woman even give him hugs. That guy, Stanley, is actually crying a little bit. Ben just stands back, half a step behind Chris. Nobody so much as looks at him, but that's ok. Nobody's looking at Ben, but nobody's calling him a 'fucking asshole' or a 'heartless bastard', so Ben's considering it a victory.

He waits, patiently, while Chris tells Jerry Finders that he'll "really" miss him. Tells Lacey Perkins that Mauckport, Indiana is literally one his favorite places on earth and he'll miss it, too.

Mauckport is ridiculously small and there's nothing to do but sit in your hotel room at night and read or watch poor reception on TV but, Ben realizes as he watches Chris clap Richard Henders on the back, Ben's going to be sorry they’re gone.

He doesn't even realize how intently he's staring at Chris until suddenly Chris turns to look at him, flashing a smile. "Ben Wyatt! Ready to go?" He doesn't even seem to notice Ben's staring, thank god, so Ben just mumbles something, nods to everybody who's been ignoring him for the last 45 minutes and heads out to the car. He can feel Chris following him.

 

*** *** *** ****

Ben slips into the driver's seat. Chris offers to drive, but Ben has a sneaking suspicion that if he let's Chris behind the wheel, there's no telling where they'll end up. He forces himself to nod at Chris, though. "That was ... productive."

"Yes!" Chris is smiling at Ben again and Ben's staring straight ahead at the road. "That was literally. Amazing. Best. Ever. Save of a Town."

Ben was almost getting used to the fact that Chris talked only in declarations and almost every word was its own sentence. "Maybe." He clears his throat. "Maybe they'll have us partner up again sometime."

Chris laughs. "Ben Wyatt! You didn't check your email. We're only in Indianapolis for the weekend. Then on Monday we head to Highland. But I *insist* upon driving."

 

*** *** *** *** ***

 

Highland is followed by Oldenberg, which is followed by Thorntown, which is followed by Munster.

The strange thing about Chris, Ben realizes, is that it doesn't matter how many times Ben tells him, no, they can't make an exception or no, it's not in the budget or no, Ben really doesn't want to stop and try some vegan restaurant in the middle-of-nowhere on the way to the nowhere-special, Chris ... just doesn't seem to care. He never gets angry at Ben or tries to argue. He just flashes a smile and nods and goes with the flow.

It really makes Ben want to tell him yes, sometime. Just to see what his reaction would be. Because if Chris is this enthusiastic when he's told no ...

Ben refuses to let his mind complete that thought. But he finds himself watching Chris out of the corner of his eye.

 

*** ****

Munster was ... Munster was a bugbear of an assignment. Ben feels ridiculous for even thinking it, but he can't help it. 4 years of playing AD&D in his youth had left an impact that no amount of suits would replace. At least, not Ben's suits, which he bought off-the-rack and as quickly as possible, never quite getting over the feeling he was wearing a costume.

But Munster left even Chris looking drawn and weary. Until the third week there, Ben didn't even know that was possible. But in Munster, the infighting - between Code Enforcement and Permits, between Water and Trash, between departments Ben hadn't even known existed - was fierce. Chris couldn't smile at anyone (and Chris smiled at everyone) without a barrage of yelling and accusations from the other faction.

They’re not even halfway through the departments they need to cut funding from and Ben’s starting to get worried that Chris isn’t going to make it. Which is freaking him out more than a little, because they’re just there to do a job and it is just a job and if Chris can’t handle it, that’s not Ben’s problem, right?

Except, of course, when Chris is around and running interference, nobody yells at Ben and he’s free to do what he does best, which is make things work. And that’s all it is, he just needs Chris to be happy so that budgets can balance and towns can stay afloat and it has nothing to do with the fact that Chris’s face last night made Ben’s stomach drop a little. That he’d wanted to say something but couldn’t think of anything and they’d driven back to the hotel in silence. Which, Ben was pretty sure, was the first time Chris had ever been silent in his life.

 

*** *** **  
As they get into the car, Chris smiles at Ben. But he doesn’t flash a smile, and Ben’s acutely (and ridiculously) aware of the difference. It feels hollow and Ben finds himself biting his lower lip on the drive to the hotel. Three more weeks in this hellhole and they’ll be done. He sneaks a glance over at Chris. Chris is just staring ahead and Ben finds himself cataloguing the list of departments they need to go through, maybe if they can slash a few budgets even more. It’ s not revenge, he tells himself as they pull into the hotel parking lot. It’s fiscal awareness.

Ben shuts the motor off, and turns to Chris, about to make some sort of speech about how tomorrow’s a new day, and what the hell is wrong with him that that thought even crosses his mind? So he can’t get out the words, and he just finds himself looking at Chris, who is looking tired, shadows under his eyes and creases against his mouth. It’s the first time Chris hasn’t looked perfect and Ben can’t stop looking at him.

Not even when Chris turns and looks back.

“Ben Wyatt.” Chris’s voice is soft and it makes Ben jump a little.

“Chris Traeger,” He tries to joke in response, but it feels flat and hollow. And Chris is just looking at him, so Ben stops and waits in silence. Silence is what he’s best at, anyway.

“Ben Wyatt, I don’t want to be alone tonight.” Chris’s hand reaches out toward him, only to fall heavily on Ben’s thigh, as if he can’t summon the energy to keep it going. As if he can’t stand the loneliness any longer.

Ben can feel himself flush, the heat spreading up through this cheeks and down his throat across his chest. “It’s been.” He clears his throat. “It’s been a rough few weeks. Do you want to go get a beer?”

Chris just looks at him and then smiles and it’s not - it’s not Chris’s regular smile, but it’s there and it’s real and Chris is looking at him and saying “No. No, I do not want to go get a beer.”

And suddenly, Ben’s fist is knotted around Chris’s tie, and he’s pulling Chris’s face towards him, desperate and wanting and the smile blooming on Chris’s face is real, and oh, god, Ben can smell him, and it’s like clean sweat and citrus and fabric softener, and suddenly Ben is kissing Chris and it’s the first time Ben has ever kissed Chris and it’s the first time he’s ever kissed anyone like this, raw and desperate and feeling like if they stop, the world is going to end and nothing is ever going to get balanced again. He can feel Chris’s stubble against his face and the sound of his breathing and the pressure of his lips and tongue and the soft, sleek feel of Chris’s shirt beneath his palms and there’s no way Chris Traegar buys his suits off the rack.

Chris is pulling away, and Ben can feel himself clutching on, he wants to beg him ‘no, stop, don’t leave me’, to say something to make Chris stay, but he can’t force the words out. Instead, he shuts his eyes tight and waits, paralyzed. The silence in the car is overwhelming, just the harsh rasp of Ben’s breathing and the softness of Chris’s - Chris never breathes hard, not after a 15 mile run, so certainly not after a kiss. Not from a kiss from Ben, anyway, and what the hell was Ben thinking? He’d just ruined everything and now he’d probably have to figure out how to spend three fucking more weeks in Munster by himself and this was NOT his fault and …

“Ben.” The sound is accompanied by the feel of a thumb glancing across his cheekbone, almost as shocking as his first name alone. “Ben. Would you like to come up to my room with me?”

Ben can’t talk, but he can nod, desperately, and they’re falling out of the car, staggering toward the motel and suddenly Ben is glad they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, a place where hotel means motel and that means individual doors facing outside and nobody watching but some stupid birds. Nobody watching as Chris’s arm drapes across his shoulder, pulling him close, nuzzling under his chin and biting across his jawbone.

Nobody to see as the door springs open and they half-fall across the entrance way, Ben’s hands in Chris’s tie (which is probably worth more than Ben spends on suits all year), tugging and loosening it, pulling Chris toward him. At some point the door closes with a bang but Ben’s already lost his jacket by then, and Chris’s hands are everywhere, his teeth biting Ben’s ear and he’s mumbling “I’ve literally thought about this for months now, I want to see you now” and Ben’s torn between tearing off his own clothes and tearing off Chris’s first, except he thinks he remembers reading that silk doesn’t tear, so he opts for painstaking caution, something he’s good at by nature, pushing each button through it’s hole and licking his way down Chris’s chest.

And Chris is moaning and whispering something Ben can’t quite hear, but the tone of praise is audible, pushing Ben forward and he thinks, this is it, if I can freeze this moment in time, it’s worth everything, now and forever. Sparks flying and the feel of Chris’s stomach against his forehead, heart racing against his ear … and Chris has a resting heartrate of something like 30 but right now it’s more like 300 and Ben can hear it against his head and feel it in his own chest and suddenly he doesn’t fucking care where they have to go, he never wants this moment to end.

THE END.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for an anon-kink-meme prompt.


End file.
